Multi-newsroom Investigation Reveals Toxic Legacy of The South’s Carpet Empire That Used Forever Chemicals Linked To A Variety Of Health Risks

A sweeping months-long investigation by leading newsrooms in the South examines the environmental contamination linked to the nation’s carpet manufacturing industry, centered in the small town of Dalton, Georgia, otherwise known as “The Carpet Capital of the World.” “Forever Stained: The South’s Carpet Empire and the Chemicals that Don’t Go Away,” is a groundbreaking investigative collaboration with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Post and Courier in South Carolina, AL.com in Alabama, FRONTLINE (PBS) and The Associated Press that includes the upcoming FRONTLINE documentary “Contaminated: The Carpet Industry’s Toxic Legacy.” The documentary premieres on pbs.org/frontline and in the PBS App starting Feb. 3, 2026, at 7/6c, or on PBS stations (check local listings) and on FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel that night at 10/9c. It will also be available on the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel.

This major investigative collaboration shows how a group of compounds known as forever chemicals that have been used for decades to make carpets stain-resistant have also polluted swathes of the South. The chemicals have been linked to serious health risks and have been used in a variety of consumer products, including nonstick cookware and dental floss. Few industries used them on the scale of the carpet industry in northwest Georgia. As the chemicals spread into local water systems and downstream rivers, they contaminated drinking water across the region.

A lack of state and federal regulations allowed carpet companies and their chemical suppliers for years to legally switch among different versions of these stain-resistant products. The full story of how the region was polluted with forever chemicals is only now emerging through interviews with former insiders and a review of thousands of pages of testimony from key executives, emails and other internal documents that surfaced during a wave of recent lawsuits.

Buried in the avalanche of litigation and finger-pointing are the people. This series shows their fears and struggles as they face an environmental crisis that persists years after the companies stopped using the chemicals.

Read the reporting from across newsrooms:

• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Inside America’s Carpet Capital: An Empire and Its Toxic Legacy
• AL.com: AL.com: How Georgia’s Carpet Empire Contaminated the East Side of Alabama (Upcoming piece)
• The Associated Press: When Forever Chemicals Contaminate Drinking Water, Private Well Owners May Be The Last To Know
• FRONTLINE: What To Know About Forever Chemicals
• The Post and Courier: How a SC Riverkeeper’s Detective Work Reveals a Deeper Tale About The Carpet Industry’s PFAS Legacy

This project is supported through AP’s Local Investigative Reporting Program and FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

About The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For over 157 years, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has been the South’s source for culture, community, and news for curious minds. Today, the AJC tells stories across platforms that empower its audience to understand and engage with their world. With a commitment to accuracy, accountability, and innovation, the AJC is building on its legacy to redefine what a local news brand can be. Learn more about us here and explore the AJC’s essential and engaging reporting, newsletters, podcasts, videos and more at AJC.com and the AJC app.

About Frontline

FRONTLINE, U.S. television’s longest-running investigative documentary series, explores the issues of our times through powerful storytelling. FRONTLINE has won an Academy Award® as well as every major journalism and broadcasting award, including 110 Emmy Awards and 34 Peabody Awards. Visit pbs.org/frontline and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to learn more. FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, with major support from Ford Foundation. Additional support for FRONTLINE is provided by the Abrams Foundation, Park Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, and the FRONTLINE Trust, with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.

About AP

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day. Online: ap.org.

About AL.com

AL.com is Alabama’s largest news site, providing up-to-the-minute coverage of the news from around the state. Our journalists cover breaking news as it happens and dig into the state’s most pressing issues through award-winning investigative reporting and smart commentary. Since 2018, our journalists have won four Pulitzer Prizes and been a finalist for another. Find us at AL.com, in the app store and on social media platforms.

About The Post and Courier

The Post and Courier, the South’s oldest daily newspaper, traces its roots to The Courier, founded in 1803, and The Evening Post, founded in 1894. In 1991, the two Charleston papers merged to become The Post and Courier. Today, The Post and Courier is South Carolina’s largest newspaper, with bureaus across the state staffed with local reporters. The Post and Courier has received two Pulitzer prizes, including the 2015 award for public service journalism, and has been a finalist six times since 2011. Find us at postandcourier.com and in the app store.